Particle.news
Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
4h ago

Ethiopian Forces Retake Mekelle From TPLF

The capture raises the risk of the Pretoria peace deal unraveling into wider regional conflict.

FILE - People walk in Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, as fighting escalates with the central government, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo, File)
A motorist along the streets of Tigray Regional Government capital Mekelle, Ethiopia, September 26, 2026. Obtained by REUTERS/File Photo
FILE - Fighters loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) walk along a street in the town of Hawzen, then controlled by the group, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, May 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Federal troops were patrolling Mekelle and manning key institutions

Overview

  • Reuters and AFP reported on Oct. 4 that Ethiopian federal troops and allied militias entered and now control Mekelle after TPLF fighters withdrew.
  • The Tigray People's Liberation Front said it had retreated and that the regional government would be temporarily moved out of the city to operate from elsewhere.
  • Forces also regained control of Alula Aba Nega airport near Mekelle, a strategic site seized during the fighting that began with the TPLF offensive on Sept. 23.
  • Communications blackouts, widespread displacement, damaged local security services and reports of abandoned government buildings have hampered aid and raised fears of looting and civilian harm.
  • Diplomatic ties have broken down with Ethiopia expelling Eritrean diplomats and Asmara severing relations, a development that UN and analysts warn could widen the crisis beyond Tigray and affect regional trade routes and humanitarian access.